Lansing hoping to return to normal Easter activities

Residents of Lansing remember a time when Easter meant the beginning of spring and was welcomed by members of the community with gatherings and community building activities.

That was only a few years ago, but the pandemic forced people inside and away from each other, making those years feel like decades.

This spring, Lansing officials are planning to make Easter feel like it did before the pandemic.

For the first time in two years, the Lansing Fire Department will host its Easter Egg Hunt on April 16 at noon. Residents can park across the street from the fire hall at the Cargill location at 80 Ridge Rd., walk up the hill and watch their kids enjoy a rite of passage for any young person: looking for and finding Easter eggs.

This year, the Lansing Events Committee will help the fire department put on the event. Events Committee member Valerie McMillen said she’s excited to be part of a Lansing community staple that has brought so many children so much joy.

“You try to do something for the community because there just hasn’t been anything going on because of COVID,” she said. “We’re hoping to help out wherever we can. We thought, ‘We should do our own Easter egg hunt,’ but we didn’t want to step on the toes of the fire department, so we decided to help them out this year.”

The Easter Egg Hunt will operate the same way it did in the past, with children being divided into four age groups. The youngest group will be 1- to 2-year-olds, the second is 3- to 4-year-olds, the third is 5- to 7-year-olds, and the oldest group will be the 8- to 10-year-olds.

All children will receive a special bag of treats, and one child in each age group will find a golden Easter egg, which will win them a special, larger Easter basket. There will also be an appearance by the Easter Bunny.

McMillen said anywhere between 300 and 500 goodie bags will be filled by volunteers from this week to the time of the event.

To increase participation, the Lansing Events Committee will try to spread the word through local schools as well. Participating schools will pass out informational flyers for kids to take home to their parents.

Last year, concerns over COVID-19 halted the fire department’s hosting of the event. Although COVID-19 is still a part of day-to-day life, McMillen said she thinks this event is important.

She also said the event will take place outside, which she thinks will help keep people safe from contracting COVID-19.

The event being outside could also be good news based on the event’s history. April weather can be unpredictable in upstate New York, but McMillen cautiously said they have been lucky with weather in the past.

“I don’t want to [jinx] it, but I don’t think we’ve had a bad weather day,” she said. “But up here, you never know.”

The Lansing Events Committee will be busy during the season. It is also hosting an Easter basket giveaway April 7, with the time to be determined. Winners will be selected by a spinning wheel using wheelofnames.com. Pick-up will be April 9 at Lansing Town Hall from noon to 1 p.m.

This year, Target has donated 30 baskets, up from the 20 that it donated last year, which contain items such as Easter grass, socks, bubbles and candy. The Lansing Events Committee will also be filling the baskets with more candy.

“To get Target to help out was great,” McMillen said. “They gave our group 30 Easter baskets, and we’ve beefed them up too.”

Last year, every child who signed up won a basket. Last week, McMillen said there have been 25 sign-ups for 30 baskets so far, and she thinks it’s possible for every child to get a basket again this year, depending on how many children sign up.

The giveaway last year was talked about throughout Lansing, as a community with few of the usual Easter activities craved a chance to gather and celebrate the season.

McMillen said she has heard about the success of the event for most of the year, and it was a no-brainer to do it again this year. It’s events like the Easter Egg Hunt and the basket giveaway that bring the community together, which after the last two years, Lansing needs.

“It’s pretty cool,” she said. “The community loved it last year, and a lot of people are commenting on our Facebook page that they appreciate that activity in the town. With there not being anything for the last two years, people just want something.”

Lansing at Large appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.

In brief:

Another egg hunt

The Lansing Fire Department and Lansing Events Committee aren’t the only local organizations hosting an Easter egg hunt. On April 10, the Lansing Rod and Gun Club will host a hunt of its own.

The hunt begins at 11:30 a.m. for children 10 years old and under at the club headquarters, 55 Salmon Creek Rd. The club is asking parents to bring a basket or bag for their child to collect eggs, but some will be provided.

The hunts will be separated into age-appropriate groups. There will also be a golden egg in the collection and a special prize available for the child who finds it.

The club is also providing breakfast before the hunt from 8 to 11 a.m.